TAMISH /Republic of Abkhazia/, November 16. /TASS/. Abkhazian President Aslan Bzhania will run for a new term if he resigns early, he said at a meeting with his supporters in the village of Tamish.

"I am ready to call elections, resign <…> and go to the polls. Let people decide whom they support," he said.

He also highlighted the pressure being exerted on members of parliament to unlawfully demand his resignation.

"There is tremendous pressure on members of parliament to force them into making an illegal decision regarding the president’s resignation," Bzhania stated.

On November 15, the Parliament of Abkhazia was scheduled to discuss the ratification of an agreement with Russia regarding investment projects by Russian legal entities in the republic. However, the session was canceled after MPs failed to approve its agenda. The opposition protested this decision and demanded that parliament reconvene to fully address the issue.

Several hundred protesters gathered outside the parliament building, eventually surrounding the government compound and occupying it. The Abkhazian Security Council described the situation as tense. Later, the opposition called for President Aslan Bzhania to resign. In response, Bzhania stated that he would continue his duties and urged citizens not to succumb to provocations.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Russia stays away from Abkhazia's internal affairs and expects that the situation will be resolved solely through peaceful political means. The Foreign Ministry recommended Russians to refrain from traveling to Abkhazia.